April 4, 2019

The Waterford-Halfmoon Union Free School District Board of Education Finance Meeting held Thursday, April 4, 2019 was called to order at 6:00pm 

PRESENT: Marcia Ricci, David Lee, Carolyn Bell (6:10), Jamie Maloney (6:45), Kory Galuski (6:45)

ALSO PRESENT: Patrick Pomerville, Carol Lyon, Jennifer Bull, Paul Gervasio

ABSENT: Mrs. Dehler, Mr. Catanzarita

Presentation: Protection of Student Data, Mr. Pomerville
Planning for the implementation of the regulations required under Education Law Section 2-d.  See the full document, on the district website, for more information on:
Education law background 
Clarity on the proposed regulations 
New district responsibilities

Mr. Lee asked if the district used Citrix noting a data breach at his place of employment.  The district does use Citrix through Capital Region BOCES Northeast Regional Information Center (NERIC) for the district’s accounting package.

Discussion followed on the many software packages teacher use in classrooms to enhance student learning and their individual “click through” agreements.  Districts will be responsible for all components of software contracts under the upcoming Education Law Section 2-d. Some companies comply with NYS Education Law Section 2-d, others do not.   NERIC is formulating a plan to assist districts; the cost of that service is unknown.  Additional insurance coverage will be required.

Presentation: 2019 2020 District Budget, Mr. Pomerville 
See the full document, on the district website, for details in the following areas.
2018-2019 School Budget Action Calendar
New York State final budget decisions
Shaping the 2019-2020 Budget
Aligning with our district goals
Small $100,000 capital projects continue
Proposed costs with percentage of changes for:
General Support, Instructional, Transportation, Undistributed  
Expenses and Revenue Overview; Fund Balance

New York State’s allowable tax cap for the Waterford-Halfmoon UFSD is 2.47%.  In developing a fiscally responsible budget, the Waterford-Halfmoon District will propose a tax increase of 1.79% which is under the allowable amount.  Mr. Pomerville presented estimated tax rates based on the proposed 1.79% tax increase and noted the benefits of the NYS STAR program.  

The Board of Education has 2 three-year terms of office expiring in June.  Details of the election process, absentee ballots, polling hours, registration, eligibility and contingency budget information are included in the attached document.  

Finance meeting adjourned at 6:45pm.
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The Waterford-Halfmoon Union Free School District Board of Education Regular Meeting held Thursday, April 4, 2019 was called to order at 7:00pm by Mrs. Ricci

PRESENT: Marcia Ricci, David Lee, Carolyn Bell, Jamie Maloney, Kory Galuski

ALSO PRESENT: Patrick Pomerville, Carol Lyon, Jennifer Bull, Paul Gervasio, Denise Carutasu, NYS Assemblyman John McDonald (7:25), Kristine Lanchantin, Attorney (7:25)

ABSENT: Mrs. Dehler, Mr. Catanzarita

There were no comments from the public regarding items on this evening’s action agenda.

Comments from Administration
Mrs. Bull reported on the Curriculum Cabinet’s progress on Next Generation Science Standards.  Grades 6-8 teachers had a chance to explore the curriculum samples and teachers in grades K-5 will do the same next week.  Both groups  prioritized summer curriculum development topics with Science and Social Studies as top choices.  Teachers have been attending BOCES workshops exploring the Next Gen ELA and Math Standards. Teaches provided feedback about the Superintendent’s Day.  They liked having choices of workshops and would like to see that continue.  The next and final Curriculum Cabinet meeting will be on Wednesday, May 29 for all K - 12 faculty.

Mr. Pomerville reported on Computer Based Testing (CBT) for students in grades 3 - 8 which resumed today.  The district had scheduled paper and pencil testing for students in grades 3 and 4 this week.  Students in grades 7 and 8 experienced difficulty submitting their completed tests electronically, but all were able to do so on Monday without problems; but Tuesday was an issue.  Grades 5 and 6 CBT was scheduled for Thursday and Friday.  Today went well with all CBT.  We may move to all paper based testing for Math next month.

Mr. Pomerville reported on tax certiorari information obtained from Chris Langlois, Attorney representing the District.   He reported that experts representing the District and Momentive have been working cooperatively to narrow the range of items that will need to be addressed in their respective appraisal reports.  It also sounds like they will need more time to do this and will be working past the original April 30th deadline to complete their preliminary appraisals.

Mr. Pomerville announced that Mrs. Ricci will be recognized by CASDA at their Excellence in School Board Service Award Dinner next week, Wednesday, April 10th.  The Capital Area School Development Association provides professional development for school districts.  Board members offered their congratulations to Mrs. Ricci for her 31 years of service on the Board of Education.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board approved the minutes of the March 21, 2019 Board of Education meeting and the March 28, 2019 Board of Education Facilities meeting.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board approved the following warrants:
Capital Fund #14 for $28,422.09
School Lunch #19 for $3,645.85
General Fund #104 for $77,235.67

The Board reviewed CSE minutes dated 2/28/2019, 3/11/2019

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board accepted the year-end Arts in Education report from Hollie Russo, K-6 and 7-12 Arts in Education Advisor, for the 2018 - 2019 school year.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board approved the appointment of Giana Anderson as an elementary substitute teacher for the 2018 - 2019 school year; salary per the WTA contract.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board approved the appointment of Jessica DiFabio as Education Law 3038 Substance Abuse Resource Coordinator for the 2018 - 2019 school year.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board approved the Project SAVE District Wide School Safety Plan dated April 4, 2019.  This is the 2018 - 2019 plan with minor updates.  Mr. Pomerville will present the 2019-2020 version in the near future noting the requirement of a 30 day public comment period prior to adoption in July 2019.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board approved the following warrants.  
Capital Fund #15 for $3,184.79
Special Aid #32 for $3,116.25
School Lunch #20 for $1,534.53
General Fund #107 for $209,418.59
General Fund #109 for $120.00

The Board reviewed CSE minutes dated 3/13/2019, 3/14/2019, 3/20/2019

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board accepted the 2018-2019 HS Yearbook Publisher year-end report from Elizabeth Wyld, Advisor.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board approved the appointment of Hollie Russo as 2019 - 2020 Arts in Education Advisor for grades K-6 and grades 7-12; salary per the WTA contract.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board approved the appointment of Nicholas Pafundi as short term substitute elementary teacher effective December 5, 2018 through March 29, 2019; salary per the WTA contract.  The policy on substitute teacher pay allows for an increase in the daily rate for short term substitutes after 10 days of employment.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board approved the appointment of Marvin and Company to provide the district auditing services for the period June 2019 - June 2023.  Mrs. Lyon told Mr. Galuski that this is a new auditing firm.  The previous auditing firm no longer works in school districts. 
$15,000 fiscal year ending June 2019
$15,250 fiscal year ending June 2020
$15,500 fiscal year ending June 2021
$15,750 fiscal year ending June 2022
$16,000 fiscal year ending June 2023
Additional management services to be billed at an hourly rate as follows:
Director, $230-$270
Principal, $200-$230
Manager, $120-$200
Senior Assurance Associate, $80-$120
Assurance Associate, $60-80

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board awarded the following transportation contracts for the 2018-2019 school year.  Mr. Pomerville and Mrs. Lyon explained that homelessness is defined by NYS regulations. The district will however, be able to bill Mohonasen School District for the cost of transportation.  
Star and Strand Transportation, $167.50/day estimate $9,550.00.  Student moved into district, transport to Westmere Elementary.
Star and Strand Transportation, $174.00/day estimate $9,918.00.  Homeless student residing in Scotia transport to and from Waterford.
Durham School Services, $290/day estimate $26,100. Student transport to Northeast Child and Family.

There were no comments from the Board of Education, residents or staff.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 5 - 0 the Board voted to go into executive session to discuss negotiations at 7:20 pm, after Assemblyman McDonald’s presentation.

Mr. Pomerville announced that NYS Assemblyman John McDonald was on his way to address the Board in public session. 

Presentation: The final New York State Budget and how it applies to area school districts, John McDonald
The New York State Budget was passed.  It was a tough budget year, but Assemblyman McDonald fought for inclusion of $618 million in foundation aid for school districts.  The Waterford-Halfmoon UFSD will receive a relatively small amount, $51,000, because our district is not designated as a high-needs district.  Waterford is considered more of a suburban district as opposed to an urban district with higher needs.  We all know that needs are growing in all districts especially in the area of mental health.  Waterford and Green Island districts are doing well in prioritizing for next school year.  

There was an effort by the Governor to consolidate school district expenses.  The 2% tax cap was made permanent, noting that most residents like it and the Governor and the NYS Senate wanted to make the tax cap permanent.  The district is in good shape in the area of property tax exemptions or PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) unless something major happens concerning area businesses. PILOTs can have an adverse effect on towns and school districts 

Districts are now allowed to create Teacher Retirement System (TRS) reserve accounts.  Retirement system contributions by districts fluctuate depending on the market.  Districts will now have a reserve fund for lean years.  NYS raised the cap on District Superintendent salaries.  BOCES Districts are hoping to attract qualified people to fill positions.

Assemblyman McDonald and Mr. Pomerville have stayed in close communication over the years in support of public education.  Their efforts have produced results in some areas.  Assemblyman McDonald tries to work with all of the players in support of foundation aid including teacher unions, Superintendents, Boards of Education, and the public sector.  

Mrs. Carutasu asked what factors determine the designation of high-need districts.  It is a complicated demographic formula taking into account wealth, prosperity and diversity of communities.  The formula tries to help communities through foundation aid.   Foundation aid has historically been underfunded.  Waterford-Halfmoon demographics have been exempt from the study due to it’s small size and the fact that the district has only one building.  The money is allocated to districts with greater needs.  We are fortunate to be a self-contained unit and our state aid may not have increased a lot, but it is not going down.

Mr. Pomerville talked about detailed reporting of cost per pupil at separate levels, K-6 and 7-12.  Assemblyman McDonald noted the interesting dynamics and referenced increases in mental health issues and adverse childhood experiences as contributing factors in each district. Determining state aid for school districts is complicated; there is poverty in all communities.  

Mr. Pomerville thanked Assemblyman McDonald for his time and attention to our district and said he appreciated the Assemblyman’s approachability.  Mr. Pomerville thanked Assemblyman McDonald for everything he does on our behalf and said the district is very fortunate to have the him as our representative.

At 7:45pm the Board went into executive session to discuss negotiations.  The Board returned to regular session at 8:30pm and adjourned.


Julie Caulkins
District Clerk

Protection of Student Data.pdf
Finance Workshop Presentation, April 4, 2019.pdf